LONDON-Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. released a new high-end 3G device and also laid out its plans for wireless e-mail. The company apparently has decided to forgo choosing sides in the hotly contested wireless e-mail market by supporting virtually every major wireless e-mail program on the market.
Sony Ericsson announced that its new M600 handset includes wireless e-mail programs AlteXia, Ericsson Mobile Office, iAnywhere OneBridge, Intellisync (now part of Nokia Corp.), Microsoft Corp.’s Exchange ActiveSync, Research In Motion Ltd.’s BlackBerry Connect, Seven, Visto Corp. and standard e-mail programs working on compliant servers.
Sony Ericsson also said its previously announced P990 handset would support the same exhaustive list of wireless e-mail programs.
Sony Ericsson’s move stands as an acknowledgement of the complicated, contentious wireless e-mail market. There are a dizzying number of wireless e-mail players in the space and a similarly confusing number of products, which leaves hardware makers in a quandary as to which programs to support. Based on its announcement, Sony Ericsson appears to be hedging its bets by providing the broadest selection possible.
The handset maker’s new M600 features a slim design, a QWERTY keyboard and support for a variety of W-CDMA networks, including Cingular Wireless L.L.C.’s recently launched offering. Sony Ericsson did not say which carriers would sell the M600.
